Penguin Palooza!

I am linking up with the The Primary Pack because... 

Slip, slide, waddle or swim along as each participating blogger serves you up a penguin freebie and ideas for penguin fun in your classroom!

Each participating 'Primary Pack' blogger has also donated a penguin product that will be part of a grand prize giveaway!

EVEN better....All penguin products mentioned in this post are ON SALE January 14th-19th:

Simply CLICK HERE or type penguinpalooza into the TpT Search Engine and you will find a list of all the bloggers' penguin goodies on sale!

I L-O-V-E teaching about penguins in my kindergarten classroom...and kids L-O-V-E learning about them!

We usually start our non-fiction unit of study mid-January so it is a PERFECT time to bring in some penguin fun!

I have so many penguin ideas to share that I thought it would be fun to share them/organize my thoughts using the letters in:

So here we go!

P is for Pinterest finds!

I have my 'tried and true' penguin activities but every now and again I love to throw in something new...insert Pinterest!

Here are a few things I found on a recent Pinterest indulgence!  Just click each image and it will bring you to the pin.  You can 'pin' it from there, or click to be brought directly to the sites!

Great videos about penguins...I love finding a link to ones that have already been watched and are recommended:

Here is a video about Emperor Penguins to check out too:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/289285976044724175/

This is a a cute penguin song that would be perfect for a brain break:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/289285976044724170/

Cute and free penguin poem: 

Fun math/counting idea...could even modify for addition and subtraction: 

My kids LOVE pattern block mats as an 'early finisher' activity so I had to pin this freebie: 

What a fun way to make a craft!  And if you don't want to do the 'roll and create' aspect, it's a cute idea for a craft: 

I LOVE and am totally using this one...I may skip the painting part and just grab black plates from the party store: 

My kids LOVE directed drawings...this is a great guide for showing how to draw a penguin: 

E is for Emergent Readers!

This set of readers is what I have donated toward the Penguin Palooza grand prize giveaway!

You can read all about these books on THIS BLOG POST

You'll see the different types of books included in the pack:

How to make a penguin book carrying case:

See the penguin fact cards that are included: 

And see a few pictures of my kindergarten son taking the books for a test run! 

You can even download the Emperor Penguin reader for FREE here:

Try it out and see if it is something that would work well in your classroom- and see how easy the books are to assemble!

It is a great book to use along with The Emperor's Egg by Martin Jenkins

Because after reading that book, they can then read their own book about Emperor penguins!

The book comes in both color and black and white- perfect for guided reading and/or adding to readers workshop baggies or to use during a non-fiction unit of study! 

These books have received EXCELLENT reviews and are favorites in my classroom, as well!

And if you are teaching a unit on all animals of Antarctica, be sure to check out this pack:

N is for Neat Way to Display Learning!

Last year my students tried out Ashley Sharp's Penguin Flap Book:

The kids had fun making these and they were such a unique way to display what we had learned during our penguin unit!

The dimensions and templates are included and it was pretty easy for the kids to put their penguins together: 

I chose to do this at the end of our penguin unit, but you could also use it as a 'kick-start' to your unit!

We made a chart of everything we had learned:

and then it was time to get to work!

There are differentiated pieces so you can pick what works best for your class and/or students, as well as what you have covered (or want to teach):

They took a few days to complete but were well worth it!

They really got a lot of  'ooohs' and 'ahhhs' once we hung them on display!

From the outside it just looks like a cute penguin craft, but once opened up it shows all they had learned and offers opportunities for independent writing!

G is for Games!

Here is one of my penguin freebie!

It has a penguin theme and practices CVC words!

You can read all about how to play on THIS BLOG POST!

The recording sheet is optional, but adds CVC word writing practice!

In my post I use cotton balls squares to cover the pictures, but since posting I thought of a new idea...Goldfish crackers!  And that also gives a tasty treat reward for working hard during centers!

Click here to download: 

But there are more games!

This is a new game I just created called 'Find My Fish' (or 'Feed the Penguin!')

 

Students spin, ID the picture, find the fish that has that CVC word and 'feed' it to the penguin.

I give instructions on how to make the penguin, but if you are short on time, you can tape the penguin printable to a bag or basket (even a solo cup) and have just as much fun!

Find the full pack here: 

Incorporating Polar Bears and Penguins?

This is a fun game to review CVC words too!

You can find the Short A version for FREE here: 

Find the full set for all 5 Vowels plus a review game here: 

U is for (re)Use Water Bottles!

A few years ago my son came home from his 3 year old PreK with a cute penguin craft made from a mini-water bottle and I knew it was something I wanted to do with my class!

You'll want to put out a beg and plead to your colleagues to save their bottles...as well as write a note home otherwise you'll be drinking two dozen mini bottles yourself!

This is what you'll need:

1 mini water bottle per student

Cotton Balls

 Black tissue paper (or construction paper)

Black construction paper

White paper

Orange construction paper

Knit Gloves (cut off the fingers)

*Make sure your bottle are completely dry and remove the labels.  SAVE THE CAPS!

*Have students put cotton balls in (I saw a cute idea for snowmen this way too- you can even turn it into a math lesson- roll the dice and add that many cotton balls!)

*Once filled, re-cap the bottle.

*Students cover the back and sides with black tissue paper (you can use black paper but it will be harder to manage)

*Have them cut 2 wings and glue to the sides (they will need to hold for about 30 seconds per wing)

*Have them make eyes, a beak, feet and add to the bottle.

*Place the finger of the glove over the cap.  You can add glue to the cap if you are afraid the glove will fall off.  I had no issues with them staying on or fraying! 

Here is our 'rookery' on display in the hall for all to see!

I is for Interesting Way to Display Our Learning!

We love our

After reading several books about penguins and watching some videos we use the picture and word cards to sequence a penguin's lifecycle: 

and then create a crown to display what we have learned! 

The best part is they go home wearing them so it is sure to spark conversations about our penguin learning!

N is for Need Snacks or Penguin Party Fun Ideas?

At the end of our penguin unit we always have a black and white party!

I am BUMMED that I don't have any pictures to share (yet)!

The kids dress in black and white and we have penguin fun:

*I strap a pillow to their legs with a bungee cord and they try to walk like a penguin.  For added fun, I put a plastic egg on top of their feet so they can pretend to be an Emperor Daddy Penguin!

*We practice sliding on our bellies- they LOVE this one!

*Throughout the day we waddle to different places- waddle to your center, waddle as we walk to lunch, etc!

*Feeding time....I bring in a cooler and act as if it is filled with slimey yummy penguin food...fish!

I ask who will be brave enough to eat a fish like a penguin!

I usually have at least one taker....

That brave soul comes up and I am very dramatic when I open the cooler, holding my nose from the stench of the fish, etc.

I have the 'penguin' close his/her eyes and open wide....

And then I drop it in...the fish....the red, delicious Swedish fish!

After that THEY all want a fish!

*We usually do math with Goldfish that day- depending on what skill we are working on!

I have also used Differentiation Station's Penguin Math Pack:

and we use cotton balls in egg cartons!

You can read more about it HERE!

*We do some fun building and writing using this pack from Brenda Tejeda:

Black & White Day would not be complete without eating black and white treats that day:

~Oreo cookies

~Black and White cookies

~Milano cookies

~Junior Mints

I ask parents for donations- it's neat to see what comes in!

I have also made these penguin cake pops:

You can read HOW TO on THIS BLOG POST!

S is for Some Mentor Texts!

I am always on the hunt for new and fun books!

This year I found these in Scholastic that I am sure the kids are going to love as fun penguin themed read alouds:

Here are a few of my 'tried and true' books I use each year during a penguin unit (and I couldn't believe how many I actually HAD until I pulled them to take the pictures!):

Here are some that can be used as read alouds but also contain information:

I especially like 'If You Were A Penguin' to spur some creative writing!

These books from Melvin & Gilda Berger are PERFECT because they contain information in a simple way that kids can understand...and read!

They especially LOVE the 'fun facts!'

Incorporate math and penguins with this one:

And here are some fun read alouds with a penguin theme:

I hope you found some new and exciting penguin ideas and enjoy the freebies I posted today!

But the fun is not over!

Enter this giveaway for the grand prize of all of these AMAZING penguin products...

(Valued at over $60!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to stop by and browse the sale!

Now it's time to slip and slide on over to find more penguin fun from these amazing bloggers:

An InLinkz Link-up

Until next post,